Bill Nye the Science Guy: Tribute to the Nerdiest Legend

Bill Nye the Science Guy is legendary for his child-oriented science show.

From 1993 to 1997, a popular science-oriented show starring Bill Nye was aired for preteens and school students. This show was entitled Bill Nye the Science Guy, and recordings of it are often still shown to students in schools. The award-winning show netted an incredible 18 Emmys during its five year run, and its success has anchored its place in classrooms and memories all across America. Since the show aired from my first to fifth-grade years of elementary school, I was in the prime age bracket for the show's focus, and I was shown Bill Nye several days per week in many of my classes. The show starred William Sanford Nye or "Bill Nye," and was a popular hit among adults as well, although the material was certainly geared towards a much younger audience.

Bill Nye the Science Guy typically began with a wacky entry sequence featuring footage of the show and Bill Nye during a "song" which chanted "Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!" and featured some interesting voice modulation. The entry sequence is visible above. Occasionally, the introductory sequence featured some changes when a new or unusual character appeared on the set, such as "Lynn McGrady the Science Lady." Nye would then present scientific content about certain topics in an engaging, entertaining and comedic manner. If you can remember a scene in Mrs. Doubtfire where Robin Williams sees a science show being done poorly and improvises his own rendition, then you have seen something indicative of a Bill Nye-style show. Nye has lots of younger helpers in his show to increase its appeal to younger age students.

The show's original inspiration began from a freak comment on a Seattle TV show, Almost Live!, when Nye corrected the host on his pronunciation of "gigawatt," to which the host replied, "Who do you think you are, Bill Nye the Science Guy?" Bill was associated with "the Science Guy" from this point forward, and after some national television attention, he would begin the show a couple years later in 1993. The show, owned by Disney, ran for 100 episodes, and spawned marketing of the label including t-shirts and video games such as Bill Nye: Stop the Rock! in which players had to solve scientific puzzles in order to save the world. The plot of the game featured a space-based laser system, MAXX, that spontaneously developed a personality and remained unconvinced that he should bother to destroy the asteroid that was on its way to destroy humanity.

Since the show ended, Nye continued creating scientific material and serving as an advisor over some popular television themes such as BattleBots. He created a show for older audiences entitled TheEyes of Nye (http://www.eyesofnye.org/) that was similar in form as Bill Nye The Science Guy, but dealt with highly political issues like global warming. This show aired on public television in 2005. Nye certainly created some memorable material in the form of the show, and many of us will never forget "Bill Nye." Nye currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

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